Color and Print Manager

About the RoleThe Color and Print Manager owns Pact’s color and print process end to end—from market research and seasonal palette-setting through lab dip approval and print file handoff—while making sure every color holds true on our GOTS organic cotton fabrications, from first lab dip to bulk production. You’ll partner closely with design, merchandising, development, and operations—reporting directly to the Head of Design & Material Innovation—to bring color and print direction to market across all of our seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Holiday/Resort, and our Whole Foods Market-specific lines) that is both commercially confident and true to Pact’s aesthetic. What You’ll Do• Partner with the Head of Design & Material Innovation to build seasonal color stories, translating WGSN and market/trend-trip research into 2–3 cohesive, commercially viable palettes per season with clear hero, core, and pop color roles.• Shop the global market—trade shows, retail, street style—and turn findings into polished trend and color presentations for design and senior leadership audiences.• Set and communicate key seasonal colors and the story behind them to design, merchandising, and development partners; track color performance by style and season to sharpen future palette decisions.• Own end-to-end lab dip and strike-off review against approved standards, making pass / hold / reject calls using Delta E2000 tolerancing (Pact’s current standard: ≤0.80 pass, 0.81–1.00 review, >1.00 reject).• Manage the ongoing transition from physical Pantone TCX chip standards to digital QTX submission, and operate spectrophotometer equipment for instrumental color evaluation.• Maintain deep working knowledge of how GOTS cotton blends take dye, and how color shifts from lab dip to bulk; flag substrate-driven risk early, including cotton-versus-synthetic dye behavior.• Own and maintain the Color Approval SOP, keeping standards, submissions, and approval records organized and audit-ready.• Design original all-over prints (AOP), placement prints, and graphics in-house that reflect Pact’s modern, minimal aesthetic.• Manage digital print file preparation for strike-offs and production handoff.• Source, brief, and manage freelance print and graphic artists, reviewing their work for brand fit, technical print-readiness, and clean IP/licensing.• Own and drive the color and print T&A (Time & Action) calendar across every season and line, holding internal teams and vendors to hard development dates.• Flag risk and missed deadlines early and directly, rather than absorbing them silently.• Manage day-to-day relationships with dye houses, print vendors, and freelance contractors, including scope, timeline, and cost negotiation.• Manage, coach, and develop at least one direct report (e.g., a Color & Print Coordinator), building bench strength on the color and print function. What You Bring• 5+ years managing color and/or print for an apparel or textile brand, ideally with natural-fiber or organic cotton experience.• Track record running seasonal color development across multiple concurrent seasons or product lines.• Experience managing at least one direct report, with a track record of coaching and developing talent.• Experience managing external freelance artists, dye houses, or print vendors.• Proficiency with digital color tools (QTX, Coloro, Datacolor, or similar) and spectrophotometry.• Fluent in Delta E / DE2000 tolerancing and lab dip-to-bulk color behavior on GOTS cotton blends.• Working knowledge of print file preparation for AOP and placement prints.• Must be willing to take a Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue Test as part of the interview process; a strong result is required prior to any offer.• Trend fluency, including experience with WGSN or an equivalent forecasting service.• Proficient in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.• Exceptionally organized and deadline-driven; a true self-starter who owns the T&A calendar end to end.• Clear, direct communicator who holds factories and vendors accountable while staying collaborative. Bonus Points• Figma familiarity.• Experience with wholesale or private-label color and print programs.• Familiarity with sustainability credentialing (Oeko-Tex, bluesign, or similar) as it relates to dyes, pigments, and print inks. CompensationBenchmarked market range for this scope is approximately $70,000–$110,000 annually, depending on experience — final band pending confirmation. Why PactAt Pact, sustainability is the work—not a footnote. We’re a team of people who care deeply about how things are made, what they’re made from, and what kind of industry we’re helping to build, one color at a time. This role sits at the center of that mission: the color and print decisions you make are what turn organic cotton into product people actually want to wear. If you’re driven by the challenge of building beautiful, technically rigorous color and print programs—and you want to do that work at a brand that is genuinely committed to getting it right—this is the place. Apply here: https://forms.gle/aK7Jy8oHxZjZn1Ls9